there's enough grace for the in-between

We took a family vacation to the Grand Canyon during the summer of 2008. It was June, and I was sixteen. We boarded a red eye flight to Flagstaff, Arizona, suitcases bursting with t-shirts and sunscreen. The plane was silent aside from my father’s calm voice, reassuring me at take-off. He spoke easily and composedly. He said that we would make it there safe. He was right. … More Remembering the Grand Canyon (God of Wonder)

I’m so easily swept away from the present moment— by my own running mind, by to-do lists, by the busyness of life. Soft sunrises and cricket harmonies were made for people like me— tangible reminders that pull me down to earth and ground me where I stand. God speaks through his creation, in a million … More Being Present: Bit of Love

I fell accidentally in love with a house on a lake. It’s white with red shutters, and there’s a For Sale sign stuck in the yard. The grass is freshly mowed. Two months worth of grass, in fact, have been grown and cut; the sign, however, does not budge. I found this house for sale, … More The Hands that Mold Us

“We are women, and my plea is Let me be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God wants to give me, receiving with both hands and with all my heart whatever that is.” –Elisabeth Elliot

I bet the sun flickered gently across the Sea of Galilee that morning. I bet it pierced the surface like a million shards of glass. The waves would have carried the light all the way to the shore, reflecting and refracting, winding and weaving. The sun, crashing in on wayward waters, would have settled on … More Despair and Desire

There is a certain and uncanny longing that is particular to the human spirit, one which hungers. We are a hungry people. We hunger for a million things all at once: community, love, respect, success, belonging. We hunger for purpose. We hunger for peace. This hunger leaves within our souls a voracious and all-consuming void. It causes us to ache. For search as we may, and we do, we are never able to fill it. Just when we think we have kept it at bay, that we have finally outsmarted it, the hunger returns stronger than ever. … More Introduction

This post is a continuation of Stars and Grace: I / / / read it here The stars in Montana, the ones right above Rising Sun Campground in Glacier National Park, are some of the best I have seen to date. I noticed them while on my walk to the bathroom. Sore and stumbling from … More Stars and Grace: II

Something I do when my heart is overwhelmed is look up at the stars. I tilt back my head and let my hair fall loose, feeling like I did back in the tenth grade while standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, at sunset. It was June and I was sixteen. Tourists flocked at the edge, … More Stars and Grace: I

I remember it well. The sky was the lightest and most fragile shade of cotton candy pink, dappled with baby blue and effervescent yellow. The fog held close to the peaks of those wild blue mountains, trapped in the clefts and crevices like slow, low-hanging clouds. The white vapor hung precariously like it had tried … More Beautiful Storm (myATstory submission)

I am a woman who grew up a girl, dirt under fingernails and tangles in hair. I spent the days of my youth outdoors, running, dreaming. Sprinting the perimeter of my backyard, I would envision myself galloping on four legs, not my own. Engulfed by visions of freedom and strength, I would ride, not run. Ripping through fields atop my imaginary steed, the sensation of a wind-blown mane flapping against my bare knuckles was nearly tangible. I bought my first real pony in the seventh grade. … More On Pursuing Your Passions

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Hi there, I’m Michelle.

I’m a dreamer and an idealist; I also love popcorn with a ferociousness that is, in all honesty, probably not healthy. And I hate to admit, but I am intensely lazy, and most days I’d rather spray my hair with dry shampoo than actually make the effort to take a shower.

This blog exists to share hope and adventure, grace and truth. The content at fancifullove is laced with whimsy and honesty. Grab your favorite mug and stay a while. Let your tired soul expand.

If there's one thing I've learned it's this: that there's enough grace for the in-between.

All my love,
Michelle

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